With the arrival of a few new plant's on Friday, the first layout of 2013 has begun.

Returning to the classics - a Mini M layout once again. In the visioning process of this aquascape, I wanted to perfect an image in my mind that had never been fully realized in the previous layout, shown here:

That particular layout had some potential, but in the end I had imported some algaes from another aquarium which kind of always plagued the setup. I liked it, but it didn't satisfy my vision.

When it came time for me to move residences, I opted to not continue the layout as it was and to start a new once things got settled, and now is the perfect time as aquascaping season is officially here as we prepare for the IAPLC 2013 competition!

To get back to the original inspiration, here is a photograph I took while visiting Japan, which emphasizes one of the key points of the layout type I want to achieve.

There is an ancient feeling to this segment of a stream, ferns growing in tandem with moss on the stones near a stream side. This is the type of feel I am reaching for, and have finally gotten together the materials to do just so:

-Slow growing plants, much less maintenance intensive on the trimming side

Layout Challenges:

-Very little aquasoil - liquid dosings, especially in Nitrogen and Phosphorus will have to be upped.
-Method of moss attachment will take time, and Amano's will pick it off the stones, so algae may become somewhat of an issue up front - requiring extra diligence in the first month.

As for the technical details, I'll get to those in a follow up post, covering the step-by-step setup as well as the sanitizing process of the filter and equipment used before to prevent any residual spores from coming in and setting up shop.